According to the allegations, the ex-aides, who now work as lobbyists, are
being paid thousands of pounds a month and are promising access to senior
ministers, early sight of embargoed reports and places on government
policy-making bodies.

The issue is to be raised in the Commons by opposition MPs who claimed, if
the allegations are true, they represent a clear abuse of parliamentary
privilege.

According to The Observer newspaper, the advisors who previously worked for
the Prime Minister, Chancellor Gordon Brown, and Minister without Portfolio
Peter Mandelson, claimed to have passed confidential information on to large
corporations.

They also allegedly told undercover journalists they had arranged meetings
with ministers and won places for people on government task forces preparing
policy.

They are also said to have boasted they had provided early sight of secret
reports by select committees, and even an advance on Chancellor Gordon Brown_s keynote Mansion House speech.

The paper insists no ministers are accused of impropriety and that not all
the lobbyists they approached offered privileged information or access.

It also stresses that none of the lobbyists_ clients sought inside information or acted improperly on any material handed over.

'Disgraceful'

The Shadow Trade Secretary John Redwood said he would be raising the matter
in the House of Commons.

"It's disgraceful if people are selling government secrets for private gain
and pre-empting parliament."

The Shadow Chancellor Francis Maude MP joined in the attack, warning that if it was true that an advance copy of the Chancellor's Mansion House speech was effectively sold it could be "incredibly serious".

"The advance copy of a Chancellor's speech is gold dust. Now that's insider
trading. If these allegations are made out, this is the sort of thing for which
people go to prison.

"This is not just some transient breach of technical rules. This is deeply
serious stuff," he said.

"The whole thing leaves an unpleasant stench and we expected better of a New
Labour government who promised openness and transparency.

"If these lobbyists are doing what they claim then they are, at the very
least, breaking parliamentary rules.

"If they are not, then they are trying to pull a fast one which is breaking
their professional code."

A Labour party spokeswoman rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing:

"This article makes clear no minister has acted with impropriety and it is
evident from the story that, while lobbyists may boast about what they can
offer, the truth about what their client actually gets does not in any way
match that boast."

But there is no doubt the issue will embarrass the government which made
attacks on government sleaze a central plank of their election manifesto.

The investigation also comes after the notorious "cash-for-questions" row
which last year led to the demise of veteran lobbying form Ian Greer
Associates.

There has been concern in parliament at the number of former aides who have either joined or set up lobbying groups.

It is widely accepted that one of their key selling points is their contact
with ministers and access to parliament.

However, the allegations appear to fall short of proving that there was any
wrongdoing by any of those involved in the newspaper investigation.